International camcord broker arrested by Malaysian authorities

MUMBAI: On 24 February, acting on information provided by the Malaysian Federation Against Copyright Theft (MFACT), representing Motion Picture Association (MPA) in Malaysia, officers from the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) arrested a 34 year-old man responsible for brokering the sale of large amounts of camcorded content from around the world.

The arrest represents the conclusion of a complex cross-border investigation and operation, which required the joint efforts of a number of agencies and organizations around the world.

The officers, assisted by staff from MFACT and CyberSecurity Malaysia, arrested the man while he was leaving his house. Following the arrest, authorities raided the residence and conducted a forensic examination of computers found at the man’s home. In addition to the computers, authorities seized a number of other items connected to the brokering of illegal camcorded content.

"We are pleased that many months of investigations and cooperation have resulted in the arrest of a notorious broker of camcorded content. The suspect has been found to be a major player worldwide and a threat to creators of content around the region. Kudos to the MDTCC on neutralizing this international criminal, the impact of which will be felt immediately, cutting off the supply to international crime syndicates and thereby safeguarding the film communities in the region. We look forward to speedy prosecution and conviction of all involved," said MPA Asia Pacific president and managing director Mike Ellis.

The arrest is a result of investigations launched a year ago, targeting this major international broker of illegal camcorded content. While the suspect is not thought to have personally camcorded films, he played a critical role as a broker of camcorded content, connecting camcorders with local criminal syndicates around the world.

"We congratulate the raiding party for connecting this known international criminal activity to the source, We also thank MFACT and MPA for their support in marshalling resources from their partner organizations to track down this camcorded content broker. Such crimes related to piracy have a very serious impact on the film industry. In this case, our authorities will be pushing for a maximum sentence," said MDTCC director general – enforcement division Mohd Roslan bin Mahayudin.

More than 90% of newly released movies that illegally end up on the Internet and in street markets around the world originate from illegal recordings being made in cinemas. These recordings often appear online within hours or days of a movie premiere, triggering an avalanche of illegal downloads that can significantly impact a film’s performance at the box office and throughout its distribution cycle.